‘A LITTLE FRUSTRATED’

Rifle-Toting Army Trainee Allegedly Hijacked School Bus and Held Students Hostage

The man “ran off post and escaped” from Fort Jackson training facility with a rifle, officials say.

South Carolina police say they arrested an armed Army trainee after he hijacked a school bus full of elementary school students on Thursday, WYFF4 reports. The man, whose name has not been released, “ran off post and escaped” from Fort Jackson training facility with a rifle, officials say. The man, still armed, hopped on a school bus that was waiting to take children to a nearby elementary school. “He told the bus driver he didn’t want to hurt anybody; he wanted him to drive him to the next town,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. Some students had phoned their parents while on the bus to let them know what was happening, Lott added. The man then “got a little frustrated” after the kids had asked him multiple times whether he was going to hurt anybody and let everyone off the bus. He took over the driver’s seat and drove a few miles before he ditched the bus, leaving the gun inside. Police say they arrested him after they found him wandering through a neighborhood. The man will face multiple charges for kidnapping, officials say.